Great conversations: the pianistsIstomin, EugeneHostBronfman, YefimIntervieweeAx, EmanuelIntervieweeFleisher, LeonIntervieweeRosen, CharlesIntervieweeGraffman, GaryIntervieweeRosen, PeterProducermoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005monographic videorecording access1 digibeta videotape; duration: 60 min., 20 sec.reformatted digitaladultEugene Istomin and his fellow pianists Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, and Charles Rosen offer insights into the world of the piano as they discuss performance technique and adventures in recording, make humorous observations about their colleagues, and tell inside jokes about great musical icons. The conversations were filmed in the elegant surroundings of the Members’ Room in the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building.Program is early edited version and contains the title "The green room," which was later changed to "Great conversations.""Program one."In opening credits: "From the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C."Additional credits: For the Music Division of the Library of Congress: Jon Newsom, chief; Jan Lauridsen, Assist. Chief, Ruth Foss, Program specialist.Library of Congress extended version.Copyright Library of Congress. This program was made possible through the courtesy of Eugene Istomin. Artists' appearances are courtesy of themselves: Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, and Charles Rosen.Copyright Library of Congress. This program was made possible through the courtesy of Eugene Istomin. Artists' appearances are courtesy of themselves: Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, and Charles Rosen.Opening credits; and The early yearsmoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access11:53reformatted digitalIstomin introduces his guests and initiates a conversation on the influences that made each become a pianist. Rosen and Graffman share anecdotes about playing for Leopold Godowsky.Rootsmoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access7:33reformatted digitalIstomin and his guests talk about the roots of various piano traditions and national schools of piano technique.Performancemoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access9:55reformatted digitalIstomin and his guests share opinions on twentieth-century pianists who returned to the Urtext as a basis for interpretation as well views on those who exercise an excess of bodily motion in performance.Traditionmoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access8:34reformatted digitalIstomin reminisces about the origins of the first recording Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in D minor, Op. 40. Fleischer and Graffman talk about pedagogy.Interpretationmoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access7:58reformatted digitalIstomin and his guests discuss what it means to interpret a piece of music.Tonemoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access11:25reformatted digitalIstomin plays a portion of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4, which leads to a discussion of tone.Epilogue; and Closing creditsmoving imageNew YorkPeter Rosen Productions, Inc.2005 video access3:02reformatted digitalIstomin provides an epilogue to the discussions by paying homage to other great pianists, including Ignace Paderweski, Artur Schnabel, Rudolf Serkin, Claudio Arrau, and Dame Myra Hess.20003110623601Music DivisionDLCIHAS051125loc.natlib.ihas.200031106greatconvGreat Conversations in MusicGreat Conversations in Musichttp://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/greatconversations/great-home.htmlPerforming Arts Encyclopediahttp://www.loc.gov/performingarts